A mother-daughter conversation and a strange reunion

TLN: I have retranslated Vandalieu's new 'Violator' Title into 'Transgressor.'

'With a serious expression on his face, Luciliano observed his experimental subjects… small animals, busily mating inside their cages.

There were a variety of different kinds of subjects, from mice, rabbits and small birds to frogs, snakes and insects. Some of them were monsters, though they were all Rank 1 such as Horned Rabbits and Big Frogs that were the size of dogs.

These were not unusual creatures to use as subjects for experiments and observation. However, it was their pairings that were strange.

Mice were mating with insects; rabbits with snakes and Horned Rabbits with Big Frogs… the experimental subjects were mating with species that they would definitely not mate with in the wild.

However, the even more bizarre thing was that none of these experimental subjects were alive in the normal sense.

This was a cross-species breeding experiment using Undead animals.

“Progress is smooth… or is it? They are copulating,” Luciliano murmured to himself as he took records of this bizarre experiment that believers of Alda would immediately denounce as a desecration of life.

“That is delightful. Vandalieu has taken another step towards uncovering life’s mysteries,” said Gufadgarn, an evil god who resided in a vessel with the appearance of an Elf girl.

She was as expressionless as Vandalieu, whom she worshipped, but she was unexpectedly talkative. There was a fanatical glow in her eyes.

“A new generation given birth to through the reproduction of Undead implanted with Life Gold, a new material that Vandalieu has created… If this experiment succeeds, Vandalieu’s name will be engraved on yet another page of history,” said Gufadgarn.

It seemed that almost everything she said was related to Vandalieu.

In any case, this experiment that Luciliano was making recordings of was an Undead breeding experiment.

Normally, no matter what kind of creatures Undead had been while alive, they would not be able to reproduce, and their desire to do so would be weaker.

This was not always the case when people became Undead while possessing strong feelings of attachment and love for a certain individual of the opposite sex, but… Even then, their lust would simply be converted into hunger, and what they desired was to suck away that person’s essence.

As their bodies have died, it was only natural that they would not be able to create offspring… but that was what Vandalieu was trying to change.

The magical metals Life Gold and Spirit Silver, which he made by pouring death-attribute Mana into gold and silver. He transplanted these into the organs of the Undead experimental subjects and ordered them to mate.

And this experiment had already seen some success. Undead that had been of the same race or of similar races while alive had successfully reproduced.

Now, Vandalieu was conducting experiments to determine whether the second generation would develop normally, and whether Undead of different races could reproduce with each other.

“Still, there is a long way to go. Apparently, Master’s final goal is to allow the Ghosts, who are Astral-type Undead with no bodies, and Living Armors, to produce offspring,” said Luciliano. “Our immediate goal is to allow reproduction not just between Undead, but between an Undead and a living person as well. Unfortunately, living experimental subjects do not mate at master’s command.”

The purpose of this experiment was not to have Undead repeatedly mate with each other to produce the strongest Undead or invent a way to create new servants without having to use corpses.

It was to allow Talosheim’s Undead such as Borkus, Rita, Saria and Princess Levia to have children as well. Thus, it was only natural to set high goals.

“Could this not be solved by capturing bandits and such from outside the Boundary Mountain Range?” Gufadgarn suggested.

“… That is likely to work, but I would personally be unwilling to watch them reproduce,” said Luciliano.

“Then allow me to fulfil that role. For the sake of achieving Vandalieu’s monumental work,” said Gufadgarn.

“With your current appearance, I do not think that is a good idea, but… Incidentally, do you not need to go to Master whom you love so much?” Luciliano asked.

This breeding experiment was being conducted in Vandalieu’s workshop beneath the castle, but as it would not be a good influence on the development of Pauvina and the other children who often came here to play, a wall had been built to separate this section from the rest of the workshop.

And right now, Vandalieu was not here.

“I am here at Vandalieu’s command. He informed me that an extremely sensitive conversation between parent and child is happening, and that he wishes me to keep away for the time being,” Gufadgarn replied.

As this topic was deeply related to Ghouls’ Ranks and race titles, he did have some interest in their conversation. However, he knew that if he was present, he would make some inappropriate remark and an iron claw or some other fearsome attack would be directed at him.

“I shall ask Master about it later,” he decided.

Having prepared several people’s worth of soda made by combining fruit juice with carbonated water, Vandalieu sat between a very tense Basdia and Zadiris.

“Mother, what I have not been able to tell you up until now is that my Rank also increased inside the Trial of Zakkart,” Basdia confessed, looking tormented.

“I see,” said Zadiris, giving her a weak smile. “The fact that you were unable to tell me… It is that, is it not? Your race title after your Rank increase…”

“Yes, it’s queen. My new race title is ‘Ghoul Amazoness Queen.’ That’s what it says on my Status,” said Basdia.

Ghoul Amazoness Queen.

A being considered to exist only in legends, a Rank 10 queen who commands Ghoul Amazonesses. Basdia had acquired this race title after her Rank increase.

“Basdia, just to be sure… You were not a princess before you became a queen? You did not become a Ghoul Amazoness Princess before you became a Ghoul Amazoness Queen?” Zadiris asked.

“I didn’t,” Basdia replied. “I was a Ghoul Amazoness Chief before; I became a Ghoul Amazoness Queen without being a princess.”

“I see…”

Mother and daughter sat in silence for a while, sorrowful expressions on their faces. The liquid inside their glasses swirled about.

“I’m sorry, Mother. To think that I would be denying your dream, your hope,” said Basdia.

“No, you do not need to concern yourself about that, Basdia,” Zadiris said softly. “I was foolish to think that I would naturally go from princess to queen if my Rank increased.”

Zadiris was currently a Rank 11 Ghoul Wizard High Princess. She was concerned about the fact that her race title contained ‘princess’ despite the fact that she would be three hundred years old next year and the fact that she had not only a child, but a grandchild as well.

Due to the special characteristics of her race, her physical development had stopped in her early teenage years, but she had once been the matriarch of a hundred Ghouls. Even after migrating to Talosheim, she was a distinguished master of magic among Ghouls.

Was it not strange for such an individual to be a princess?

That was why she had troubled Quinn, the Gehenna Absolute Queen, and Eisen, the Skogsrå Empress. She had worked hard to increase her Rank and go from princess to queen, and earnestly requested Vandalieu to alter parts of the costume she gained when she used her transformation staff to transform.

“In fact, I am the one who should apologize. I am sorry for making you so concerned about me, Basdia. I am genuinely happy that your Rank increased,” said Zadiris. “And I am proud not only of your race title, but the fact that you have become a representative for the Ghouls.”

“Basdia has recently been holding classes for the Ghouls who migrated from the Sauron Duchy, teaching them combat techniques and various other things. I think you’re outstanding,” said Vandalieu.

“Mother… even you, Van… I was just doing these things because Mother, Vigaro and Tarea are busy,” Basdia said, blushing.

Zadiris gave a bitter smile and lowered her head, apologizing not only for herself but also for the other two who were not here. “We are truly sorry,” she said.

The three of them were supposed to be in central positions as the elders among the Ghouls, but all of them had been too busy with their own problems, so that role had been taken up by the young Basdia.

Vigaro had been absorbed in his combat training, while Tarea’s duty was to smith arms in her workshop and guide the other members of her craftsman team.

Of course, now that they were citizens of the nation called Talosheim, they no longer had the responsibility of ruling over the other Ghouls. They had been formally given positions like ‘mage of the imperial court’ and ‘military officer,’ but they hadn’t been assigned duties, nor were they receiving salaries.

Even without taking these things into account, perhaps it is the perfect time, Zadiris thought.

“But unlike Vigaro, Tarea and I are old. It may be time now,” she murmured.

“What?! Van, you need to use Youth Transformation on Mother!” Basdia exclaimed.

“Yes. Please lie down,” Vandalieu told Zadiris.

“It is not that I have grown too old; I was merely thinking that it may be time for the next generation to take over!” Zadiris said indignantly, putting an end to Basdia and Vandalieu’s mistaken idea that she had suddenly aged significantly. “My age has been reversed by the boy, but if I were to look important forever, the young ones would be left with nothing to do. And… even if I were to try and organize something, it would likely become an information session or class about magical girls.”

“The ‘Magical Girl Zadiris’ is popular with Jadal and the other children, after all,” said Vandalieu.

Zadiris’s gaze became distant in response to these words. The sight of her shouting a password and causing her transformation staff to form a costume out of liquid metal had made a big impact on Talosheim, becoming widely-known among the children and young people.

So much so that she had acquired the ‘Magical Girl’ Title.

“Mother, you are at the center of attention for all young female mages, not just Jadal and the other children,” said Basdia. “Apparently, the fact that you become stronger when you transform is important.”

It seemed that even in this world, everyone wanted the ability to transform. However, the transformation staves created by Vandalieu were Magic Items that were exceptional not only in appearance, but performance as well.

The costumes appeared to be nothing more than pieces of fluttering, thin cloth, but the defense they offered surpassed that of most suits of armor, and they offered various effects such as bonuses to magic use and increasing Attribute Bonuses.

Perhaps because they were so highly functional in battle, it was not only small children but young women as well who wanted to become magical girls.

Of course, no matter how well transformation staves functioned in battle, they were nothing more than supportive items. An ordinary person equipping one would still be an ordinary person in a magical girl costume with just a higher-than-average defense.

“I have become quite accustomed to being treated as a magical girl, and it does not seem that my race title will change from princess to something else with another one or two Rank increases. I have resigned to the fact that I will have to steadily improve myself for the next ten years, but… If I stand out too much, my name will be left in history as the founder of magical girls, and I may forever be unable to escape being a magical girl,” Zadiris murmured. “That is how it is, so I am relying on you, my daughter.”

“I understand,” said Basdia. “I am sure it will be easier than what you experienced when you led our village, and if it’s just for a decade or two, then I’ll do my best.”

For Ghouls, who had lifespans of three hundred years, ten or twenty years was not that long.

“But I want you to play with Jadal when I’m busy,” Basdia said.

“Yes, leave that to me. She is my adorable granddaughter… However, I would like to be spared from having to transform while I am outside,” said Zadiris.

Zadiris was reluctant to transform outside of battle, but it seemed that she found it hard to refuse the requests of her adorable granddaughter.

“It seems that we have resolved the issues, so let’s take a break,” said Vandalieu.

The other two nodded in agreement and they all began drinking their soda. The healthy, carbonated fruit juice was popular enough to have its own specialized stalls selling it. The people of Earth and Origin might have found it a little lacking in sweetness, however.

Even though Vandalieu had managed to reproduce carbonated water, he hadn’t been able to reproduce things like Coca-Cola, as neither he nor Legion knew the recipe.

As Vandalieu was trying to recall the flavor of Coca-Cola, Princess Levia, the First Princess of the old Talosheim who was now a fire-attribute Ghost, appeared.

“Your Majesty, as you’re taking a break now, I have a report to make. It seems that a letter has arrived,” she said.

It seemed that she had been present and waiting for a good time to speak.

“A letter?” Vandalieu repeated.

He had distributed Goblin communication devices to the leaders of all of the nations inside the Boundary Mountain Range, like Godwin of the Majin nation and Queen Donaneris of Zanalpadna.

Thus, if the message was short, they would contact Vandalieu using the communication devices made from shrunken Goblin heads rather than writing a letter. There was a limit to how long the devices could be used to talk because of the amount of Mana in the devices, but even then, they often made complicated requests through these devices.

This was because Vandalieu could use the Labyrinth Creation Skill to teleport to the nearest Dungeon, which meant that he could make visits on the same day as long as he had time.

Therefore, being contacted by letter was a rare event.

“Is it from another nation, or from Vida’s Resting Grounds? Maybe the Pure-breed Vampires or the ancient Majin awakened from their petrification?” said Basdia.

“It may be the people of the Storm of Tyranny that you are waiting for contact from,” said Zadiris.

Basdia and Zadiris’s suggestions were the only possibilities that Vandalieu could think of. The communication devices did not work properly around Vida’s Resting Grounds, perhaps because it was the center of the boundary that protected the Boundary Mountain Range from the forces of Alda, the god of law and fate. The people around Vida’s Resting Grounds and the adventurer party in the Amid Empire known as the Storm of Tyranny were the only ones that Vandalieu could think of who would try to contact him in this way.

“It’s neither; it’s from the Undead that are standing guard in the Sauron region,” said Princess Levia. “It seems that there was a letter written by people whose names sound like they are reincarnated individuals.”

“… I’m surprised they used a method as ordinary as a letter to contact me,” said Vandalieu.

In the Sauron region ruled by Rudel Sauron, who had recently been named the new duke, there was a forest that the duke’s influence did not reach. It was almost completely a Devil’s Nest, and three adventurers had set up camp inside it.

They were an unusual trio – Two Elf girls and a dark-skinned human boy. They were roasting the skewered meat of the monsters they had hunted on an open-air fire as they discussed their own future.

“We have cloth to use in place of paper, so let’s keep sending letters for the next month. There hasn’t been any reply, but it’s important to keep it up,” said one of the girls.

“Kanako, we’ve already used half of it this month. You’re not gonna tell us to keep it up until winter, are you?” said the boy.

“Doug, November comes after October. It will still be autumn,” said the other girl.

“November around here is as cold as the winter we know,” the boy retorted. “Melissa, you want to keep camping out here in this gear and join the Undead after we freeze to death?”

These three adventurers were the reincarnated individuals who had written Vandalieu a letter.

The Elf girl who seemed to be leading them was the ‘Venus’ Kanako Tsuchiya. The other Elf girl was the ‘Aegis’ Melissa J. Saotome. The boy was the ‘Hecatoncheir’ Doug Atlas.

After separating from the Bravers organization in Origin, they had separated from their group again in Lambda, the one led by the ‘Chronos’ Murakami Junpei.

“You’re right. There’s a limit to how warm we can keep ourselves with magic, so let’s head back to the town temporarily before it gets really cold,” said Melissa.

“Hmm, I suppose it cannot be helped. I want to keep the chances of the townspeople noticing what we’re doing as low as possible, but there is no point if we freeze to death,” said Kanako. “Let’s try again after we make all the preparations for winter.”

“So, you intend to keep going in winter as well after all?” Doug asked incredulously.

“Of course,” Kanako replied, giving a strong-willed nod. “We will keep going until we get a response from him.”

Doug gave a deep sigh. “It feels like we’re on a deserted island, trying to get help by putting letters into empty bottles and throwing them into the sea.”

“I think our chances of getting a response are higher than that,” said Melissa. “What comes for us isn’t guaranteed to be help, though.”

The trio had separated from Murakami and the others who had accepted Rodcorte’s request to kill Vandalieu. The objective of Kanako and her companions was to defect to Talosheim, the nation ruled by Vandalieu.

The three of them had died in their previous lives to death-attribute Mana that had gone out of control. They did not believe that they could win against Vandalieu.

With that being the case, the most dangerous place to be in this world was with Murakami, who intended to fulfil Rodcorte’s request and kill Vandalieu. Thus, the safest place in the world was by Vandalieu’s side.

They had also decided that it would be dangerous to try and keep themselves hidden from both parties.

After all, in Origin, they had pretended to be allies of the Eighth Guidance, who worshipped Vandalieu, and later betrayed them. They had also been present when the ‘Death Scythe’ Konoe Miyaji attacked Vandalieu.

It wouldn’t be strange for Vandalieu to already consider them enemies.

By hiding, they might cause Vandalieu and his allies to be more wary of them and chase them down persistently.

If that was the case, wouldn’t they be more likely to survive by pressing their foreheads against the ground and kissing his feet to surrender than by making a poor attempt to hide?

That was what the three of them believed.

They also believed that even if they were not accepted into Talosheim, Vandalieu would not chase after them once they told him that they had no hostile intentions towards him.

However, the three of them had been struggling to make contact with Vandalieu.

“Hey, how about coming up with a plan that’s more reliable than throwing letters from the sign outside the place?” said Doug.

“Because once we go past the sign, the Undead will acknowledge us as enemies. It’s uncertain that they will relay our words to him, and it’s possible that they might pick up the letters that we threw. And, according to rumors, there’s an unidentified head-hunting demon inside,” said Kanako.

“And if we stay on this side of the sign and don’t do anything hostile, we’ll be safe,” Melissa added. “We’ve already talked about this. Did you forget?”

What Kanako and Melissa spoke of was the information that had been spreading among the adventurers of the Sauron Duchy ever since Vandalieu occupied the former Scylla region.

Several groups had tried going past the sign at the boundary of the former Scylla territory since then, including Duke Marme’s army, and none of them had returned.

However, all of those who had not stepped past the sign had returned safely.

From this information, the Guilds had determined that this forest was just a Devil’s Nest with nothing more than weak monsters, as long as one did not step past the sign.

However, these three were reincarnated individuals. Even now, despite going against Rodcorte’s desires, they could use their cheat-like abilities normally, and still possessed his divine protection and fortune.

Over a year had passed since they began going through job changes at the Adventurers’ Guild, and their abilities were getting close to those of A-class adventurers.

As long as the mysterious head-hunting demon didn’t appear, they would manage to hold their own against Rank 4 and 5 Undead. But what the trio feared was not fighting against Undead.

“The worst-case scenario is if we accidentally defeat some of the Undead, right? I remember, we decided that Vandalieu might kill us to take revenge for the Undead if we defeat them,” said Doug.

This was the scenario that Kanako feared the most. In any other part of the world, nobody would think of taking revenge for Undead.

No, the same would be true even if they weren’t Undead. A nation’s leader would have to be mad to jump into battle in order to avenge sentries that had been dispatched on the frontlines.

But Kanako and her companions had observed Talosheim, even though it had only been for a short while. From what they had seen, they didn’t think that this would be out of the question. In that city, Undead smiled just like the living, sharing tables and raising cups of alcohol together.

And from the information that they had received from Rodcorte, Vandalieu conversed normally with Undead, treating them as companions and forming bonds of trust with them.

Even in Origin, where both science and magic existed, Undead appeared on very rare occasions. However, with only two exceptions, Undead were nothing more than beasts that saw all living as their prey, or insane creatures that unleashed their hatred upon everything in sight.

One of those exceptions was the one with the codename ‘Undead,’ who had saved the others who were being used as experimental subjects despite dying and becoming an Undead… Vandalieu himself.

The second was the Zombie soldiers that had been created by Isis and commanded by Valkyrie; these two were members of the Eighth Guidance who had been rescued by the Undead. At least while they were under Valkyrie’s command, the Zombie soldiers had not been like beasts; they had fought with sophisticated coordination.

The death attribute was involved in both of those exceptions. With that being the case, the Undead affected by the death attribute in Lambda should be treated in the same way as those exceptions, along with the reasons for their appearance. That was what Kanako, Doug and Melissa had decided upon.

“It doesn’t seem that Murakami or Asagi have noticed that, though,” said Melissa.

“That’s probably because they decided that Vandalieu and the Eighth Guidance are crazy, even before thinking things through about the Undead,” said Doug, taking a skewer and taking a bite of the perfectly-roasted meat. “When you watch Zombie movies, there are always characters that make a big fuss about how Zombies are just sick humans so they can be treated and returned to normal, and that Zombies have rights just like humans. To Asagi and Murakami, Vandalieu just looks like one of those characters. They think that if Vandalieu is manipulating the Undead, it’s possible that he is making them act like they have personalities. That what Valkyrie was doing was like playing with dolls, and what Vandalieu is doing is no different.”

Melissa and Kanako stared at Doug.

“Doug, haven’t you become smarter than you were in your previous life?” said Kanako.

“Perhaps this world’s food has some nutrients that are good for the brain,” said Melissa.

“… I see exactly what you guys think of me now,” Doug sighed.

“No, no, it was a very interesting view on things,” said Kanako.

“Playing with dolls is a terrible way to put it! It is the real thing!” said a voice from very close by.

Kanako, Doug and Melissa froze. And then they noticed that two people were present on the very edge of the light of their campfire.

In a way, these two were people that they knew, but at the same time, this was their first meeting.

“I-it seems that you got our letter. Umm, should I say, ‘long time no see?’” Kanako said nervously, managing to recover from her shock.

“Yes. Long time no see, Tsuchiya Kanako-san. Excluding the time when I destroyed ‘Death Scythe,’ it’s been ten years? No, you weren’t there when I was killed in my previous life, so has it been thirty years?”

“For us, it has been a year and a few months! Well, depending on the person, that’s certainly long enough to say ‘long time no see!’”

“I’m glad to see you again… or so it’s socially polite to say, isn’t it?”

The two newcomers sounded as if they were starting a casual chat.

“I’ll introduce myself again. I’m Vandalieu. This person wearing the black cloak is Legion, who were previously the Eighth Guidance. You’re the ‘Venus’ Kanako-san, the one over there is ‘Aegis’ Melissa-san and he’s the ‘Hecatoncheir’ Doug-san, is that correct?”

Having seen the letter that Kanako’s group had apparently written, Vandalieu had decided to meet them and talk.

Of course, he had considered the possibility that the letter was a trap. He had only called out to them after finding them with his Lemure familiars and making preparations.

“Incidentally, I have already told my companions of this location. If you try anything, several hundred Undead will flood into this forest,” Vandalieu said.

“I mean, it’s only normal to be that wary. By the way, why did I hear voices that sounded like Valkyrie and Isis from the one over there… Legion-san?” Kanako asked.

“We’re being considerate towards you. Our current appearance is very shocking,” said Legion.

They had used the Form Alteration and Size Alteration Skills to transform into the rough shape and size of a human, then put on a hood and cloak to conceal their appearance. This was done out of consideration for Kanako and her companions so as to not frighten them.

Vandalieu had come here to hear what they had to say, so it would have been problematic if they had started panicking.

“So, about your desire to defect… Why do you want to do that?” Vandalieu asked his former classmate Kanako, who had completely changed from who she was when she was on Earth except for her appearance and age.

It wasn’t as if Vandalieu had been particularly close to her, but she seemed to be the leader of the trio, and he hadn’t ever spoken to the other two reincarnated individuals since their time on Earth, either.

However, it was almost certain that Kanako’s personality had changed drastically since she was Vandalieu’s classmate.

That act had been quite comical, but it was probably another sign that Kanako had changed.

“Ah, you noticed! I’m so glad. The truth is, we cut our ties with Murakami and his group,” said Kanako, smiling.

On the other hand, she also felt that Vandalieu was a completely different person from when he was Amamiya Hiroto on Earth. She was shaking on the inside.

This was something that she knew because she was exchanging words with him directly, but it wasn’t just his appearance… his very existence had transformed.

We’ve had military training and survived a lot of battles, but even then, he was able to approach us without us noticing. Assuming that’s a death-attribute spell… Even if you take that out of the picture, I don’t think we could defeat him, Kanako thought.

Kanako and her companions had trained in military-style close-quarters combat. Even from their point of view, the atmosphere surrounding Vandalieu was bizarre.

He was merely standing there, but there was a terrifying lack of openings. His appearance was younger than them… it was that of a child. But Kanako couldn’t feel any sense of inexperience about him.

I’m sure his Attribute Values and Skills are far higher than ours. Not only for unarmed combat, but various other things as well. Well, he is definitely a senpai when it comes to this world, but… the one next to him, Legion? That one’s presence is strange, too.

These were not ones to turn into enemies – Kanako, as well as Doug and Melissa who had been engulfed in Vandalieu and Legion’s presence, became absolutely certain of this now.

Kanako gave a rough explanation of how they had died after the Eighth Guidance were wiped out. She kept quiet about some things to use for negotiation later, however, such as the fact that the ‘Avalon’ Rikudou Hijiri was the one who had been pulling the strings on everything.

“Hmm. If I managed to crush people who were trying to research the death attribute, then collecting all that death wasn’t a waste. It’s unfortunate that it ended up being something like an indiscriminate act of terror, but that wasn’t the result of our intentions,” said Pluto.

“Yes, that’s why the three of us thought that we don’t want to make you our enemy, because we don’t want to die anymore!” said Kanako.

“Leaving Kanako and Melissa aside, I feel a little strange about Doug thinking that way. You were something of a berserker, weren’t you?” Legion asked.

“… That voice, it’s Shade, isn’t it? It’s true that I like fighting. But that wasn’t a fight; it was more like a catastrophic disaster. No different from a hurricane or an earthquake,” said Doug. “And battles are fought in order to win. I’m not stupid enough to try and fight when there is no chance of winning.”

Legion were actively engaging in conversation with Kanako, Doug and Melissa. This was to make sure that there were no lies in their words.

Because Legion had worked with them for several years, they knew them well. They had kept an eye on Murakami’s group because they knew that they would become enemies once again in the future.

The same applied for Murakami’s group, but it seemed that Kanako and her companions were a little bewildered by the disguised Legion.

It seemed that they had accepted that they could hear multiple voices coming from Legion, but they were surprised that there was no anger or hatred in their tone and behavior.

However, Kanako and her companions were hesitant to confirm the reason for this. During their hesitation, Vandalieu changed the topic.

“I see. I understand your story,” he said. “In other words, you have nothing to do with the three people who are still hiding over there, right?”

“There’s someone there?!”

Kanako and her companions turned around and saw nothing, but… after a few moments, as if resigning themselves to the fact that they had been detected, three more people of about the same age stepped out of the trees’ shadows.

“Man, we were trying to find a good timing to come out… Long time no see, Amamiya,” said one of the three… the ‘Mage Masher’ Asagi Minami, with a bitter smile on his face.

Strengthened Attack Power when equipped with an axe: Large (LEVEL UP!)

Mental Fortitude: Level 3 (NEW!)

Mana Enlargement: Level 1 (NEW!)

Strengthened Attribute Values: Guidance: Level 4 (NEW!)

Strengthen Followers: Level 4 (NEW!)

Allure: Level 1 (NEW!)

Active skills:

Axe Technique: Level 10 (LEVEL UP!)

Shield Technique: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!)

Archery: Level 7 (LEVEL UP!)

Throwing: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)

Silent Steps: Level 3

Coordination: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!)

No-Attribute Magic: Level 3

Wind-Attribute Magic: Level 7 (LEVEL UP!)

Water-Attribute Magic: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)

Mana Control: Level 5 (LEVEL UP!)

Cooking: Level 2

Surpass Limits – Magic Axe: Level 7 (LEVEL UP!)

Armor Technique: Level 3 (NEW!)

Magic Fighting Technique: Level 3 (NEW!)

Dismantling: Level 1 (NEW!)

Unique skills:

Zozogante’s Divine Protection (NEW!)

Garess’s Divine Protection (NEW!)

■■ンダ■■’s Divine Protection (NEW!) [N, Da]

Race explanation (Written by Luciliano):

Ghoul Amazoness Queen

In legends, a Ghoul Amazoness Queen is a queen who commands a female-only pack of Ghoul Amazonesses. Of course, there are no records of actual sightings in human society. Even in the Ghoul nation in the Boundary Mountain Range, there have apparently been several Ghoul Amazonesses, but no queen has ever been confirmed to exist.

In terms of appearance, they may appear to be not much different from Ghoul Amazonesses, Ghoul Amazoness Geronimos or Ghoul Amazoness Chiefs, but… It is possible that Basdia, the only Ghoul Amazoness Queen currently in existence, simply has not changed because of her large body that was originally 190cm tall to begin with.

Speaking of Basdia’s individual strength, she has not awakened any superior Skills, but her abilities are in the realm of A-class adventurers. With equipment made from the Demon King’s fragments, she would be unlikely to lose to an ordinary A-class adventurer.

Though it is limited in range as it only affects Ghoul women, she has acquired the Strengthen Followers Skill, and she hopes to become a commander in the future.

Incidentally, the Job named ‘Demon Axe Blade’ that she has acquired is one that has not been discovered in human society, but it is already known to the Kijin nation. It is apparently a Job that can be acquired by a woman with a high-Level Axe Technique Skill and the divine protection of Garess, the god of battle flags who is the guardian deity of the Kijin nation.

The “ladies” of Vida’s races may be high-class, but it seems that being such a lady has nothing to do with being graceful.